ISRO Launches AST SpaceMobile BlueBird Block 2 Satellite

The Indian Space Research Organisation successfully launched a next-generation communication satellite for U.S.-based AST SpaceMobile on Wednesday, marking a milestone in space-based cellular broadband technology. The BlueBird Block 2 satellite lifted off aboard the LVM3 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, at 8:55 a.m. local time, with the spacecraft separating into low Earth orbit about 15 minutes later.

This dedicated commercial mission, the sixth operational flight for the LVM3 vehicle, was conducted under an agreement between NewSpace India Ltd, ISRO's commercial arm, and AST SpaceMobile. The satellite, weighing 6,100 kilograms, represents the heaviest payload ever deployed by an Indian launcher from domestic soil and the largest commercial communications satellite placed in low Earth orbit. Featuring a phased-array antenna spanning 223 square meters when fully unfolded, BlueBird Block 2 is designed to connect directly with unmodified smartphones, enabling 4G and 5G voice, video calls, texting, and data streaming from anywhere on Earth, using spectrum licensed from cellular carriers to extend coverage beyond ground-based towers.